What Goes Around
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: One couple, two timelines, two very different love affairs, two broken hearts, one chance to get back to where they belong. But where is that exactly? After all, what goes around, comes around...
1. Chapter 1

**What Goes Around**

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

******A/N: Added the note so readers and writer don't get confused. Also revised the first chapter, to give a little more 'backstory'. Okay, italics are 2007 Zane (One of my presents) in 2012 Eureka (when Jo is Head of Security), just so it doesn't get confusing later on. Normal is 2012 Zane (Head of Section Five) in 2007 Eureka (when Jo is deputy).**

**Summary: One couple, two timelines, two very different love affairs, two broken hearts, one chance to get back to where they belong. But where is that exactly? After all, what goes around, comes around...**

_2012_

_Zane looked around, other than the migraine beginning, Eureka looked the same; from the Cafe to the statue of Archimedes. After a moment, he hurried to the cafe, slipping inside. He searched, until spotting a familiar sheriff's uniform at the counter, and a woman dressed in black, who was sitting beside him. He let out a breath and hurried to them._

_"Carter." The older man looked up, a quick smile flashing across his face. It vanished, when he felt the woman beside him stiffen. _

_"Zane." Out of the corner of his eye, Zane saw the woman glance at him, before turning around and getting up. _

_"I've got to get back to work- those reports won't finish themselves. I'll see you, Carter." It was then that Zane intercepted, blocking her path. He took her into his arms, staring into her dark eyes. _

_"Hey Jojo. I've missed you." She stared at him, confusion written clearly on her face._

_"Missed me?" But before she could say anything else, he pressed his lips gently to hers, reaching up to tangle a hand in her ponytail. One hand rested on her waist, the smoothness of her black slacks lay beneath his fingers; a pleasant contrast to her normal coarse deputy uniform. She seemed relaxed, especially since they'd just started dating. She seemed to briefly lean into the kiss, before pulling away. A flash of confusion filled her features- was it just him, or did she look a little older?, before the familiar anger he was- still- accustomed to appeared, and she calmly set her coffee cup on the counter._

_Before he could speak, his head met the floor of the cafe, and he struggled to take a breath. Everyone else in the cafe turned to watch the young woman as she pressed the sole of her high heel into his throat. She reached behind her, pulling out a pair of handcuffs, before removing her foot and forcing him onto his stomach._

_Zane could feel Carter's gaze on him, and he glanced up before Jo stood on his neck. "Yeah, I know what that's like." Carter muttered, taking a sip of his coffee._

_"Move and you'll spend the rest of your days_ sucking meals through a straw." _She growled, cuffing him before standing. She pulled him to his feet and forced him out of Cafe Diem, grabbing her cup off the counter. "Sorry about that, Vincent. I wasn't planning on having to beat Donovan this morning, I really wasn't." _

_Donovan? Since _when_ were they back on a last name basis? He'd graduated to 'Zane' three weeks earlier!_

_The cafe owner held up his hands. "Don't worry about it, Jo_."

_She turned back to Carter. "Your office or mine?" Carter shrugged. _

_"Put him in mine. Andy can babysit for a while." Jo nodded. _

_"I can't believe you're going to let her lock me up!" Zane cried, incredulous that Carter would turn on him. "I thought I'd earned not living in your cell anymore!" _

_Carter snorted. "Right. Like that would ever happen."_

_"You're in Carter's cell so much_ you have your own pillow. _Don't even_ think _you deserve that apartment GD has for you, because you don't." Jo said, shoving him out of the cafe_.

_When they reached the sheriff's office, Zane saw who must have been the Andy that Carter referred to. "Good morning, Chief Lupo." Andy said with a bright smile. Zane felt Jo grimace, before she returned her own small smile. _

_"Morning Andy. Sorry about this. Looks like you're going to have to babysit Felon Backstreet Boy again."_

_"Not a problem, Chief Lupo." Andy replied. _

_"Wait, what does he mean by chief?" Zane asked, turning to her. "And who is he?" _

_Jo raised an eyebrow. "Andy is our robot deputy. And... I'm Head of GD's Security. So you're going to be dealing with me at Global Dynamics a lot. And if you piss me off, you're gonna regret it."_

_"But... why did you... put me in handcuffs and bring me here?" He asked, confused. _

_Her eyebrows rose. "Don't play stupid, Donovan. I know you think setting those monkeys free was a smart move. But next time you decide to play animal activist, think real hard,_ and don't."

_He just stared at her, confused, before she shoved him into the cell and slammed the door, locking it before walking away._

2007

He looked up; she stood talking to Carter, arms crossed, hair pulled back in a tight bun. As he got closer, he found himself scrutinizing her appearance. She looked... younger.

If that was possible.

It didn't matter, he was just happy to be home. Sighing, he made his way towards her, sticking his hands in his jacket pockets. He slipped behind her, laying a hand on her lower back and pressing a kiss to her cheek. She pulled away, turning to him.

Her dark eyes took in his appearance, and he could see that the worry lines she had on her forehead- from her stressful job as Head of Security- were gone. Her skin was smooth, blemish and line free. She looked youthful, though her eyes were tired. She wore the old deputy uniform she'd worn in Virtual Eureka...

_You're back in uniform..._

He shuddered, remembering the pain of seeing his Jo in Carter's arms. That VR had been_ far_ too real for his liking.

He gave her his trademark smile, the smile he knew would make her melt. She furrowed her brow, before stepping away from him. "Um... Zane." She muttered, uncomfortable at his display of affection.

"What kind of trouble have you caused now?" Zane looked up at Carter. He opened his mouth.

"I... I haven't caused any trouble. Just... keeping everyone in Section Five in line."

He didn't miss the look Carter and Jo shared- incredulous and amused. They burst out laughing. "Right!" Carter cried.

"What's so... funny?" He asked, looking from one to the other.

"Nothing just... 'keeping everyone in Section Five in line.'" Carter mimicked. "Sure..."

"Sorry Zane, but... you're not exactly Head of Section Five material." Jo added, wrapping her arms around herself as she struggled to breathe. The thought of the deliquent scientist before her being Head of Section Five was just... funny.

"What do you mean, Jo? I... Fargo gave me the position, and you approved it. Remember? As Head of Security, you have to approve all Head recommendations."

She took a deep breath. "Fargo? What, is the Head of Global?" Zane nodded.

"Yes."

"Right. And I'm Head of Security. No, I'm the Sugar Plum Fairy. Come on, Zane. Like Fargo would ever be Head of Global. He's too much of a screwup. And me... that's just ridiculous. But you... as Head of Section Five... that's-"

"Priceless. The look on your face." Carter cut in. Zane looked from Carter to Jo and back. None of this made sense. Neither Jo or Carter were acting like themselves.


	2. Chapter 2

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

2007

He pulled away, slipping past the two to head into Cafe Diem, when she grabbed his arm. "Hey." He turned to her, seeing the light dance in her eyes.

There was the Jo he knew and loved.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling his closer. He just stared into her dark eyes, searching for a hint of the Enforcer, of the Sergeant that would pull away when he moved to kiss her. He leaned close, expecting to hear her cell ring and for her to grab it and answer with her firm, "Lupo" like she always did. But when he brushed his lips against hers, she didn't pull away.

Instead, she smiled against his lips, before deepening the kiss. It was passionate, like so many of their kisses. Her hands ran along his waist, moving up his chest. He pulled her close, holding her to him. And suddenly, all too soon, she pulled away, a blush lighting up her cheeks.

That was strange. She never blushed after their kisses- public or otherwise. Usually, she wore a look of pride; a small smirk, a look of happiness, silently proclaiming that the kiss they shared meant he was hers. He belonged to her, and he had no shame in silently admitting it.

When she headed down the sidewalk, back to the Sheriff's office, he grabbed her hand, squeezing. She blushed.

"I... I'll finish those reports for you, Carter."

And then she was gone.

Zane turned back to the sheriff. "Um... Carter, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Shoot." Carter said, sipping his coffee. Zane bit his lip. He looked around quickly before nodding towards the office. After a moment, Carter followed. They slipped into the office and settled on the sofa; Jo had disappeared- Carter could hear the water running in the tub. "What'd you want to ask, Zane?"

The younger man glanced around. He didn't want to ask this, but he had to know. Everything just felt... wrong.

He _had_ to know.

"Um... what... what year is it?"

Carter stared at him for a moment. He listened; he heard Jo step into the tub, no doubt, she had her headphones in, so she wouldn't be listening to this odd conversation anyway. After a moment, he said,

"Two-thousand-and-seven. Why?"

Zane paled.

_2012_

_"Are you going to let me out? Hey! Carter! Hello!" _

_The sheriff looked up, rolling his eyes. After a moment, he got up, pulling his keys out. "Next time, Zane, leave the monkeys alone." He said, unlocking the cell and letting Zane slip past him. _

_"I'll remember that." The younger man said. He turned to Carter. "Um... Carter?"_

_"Yeah?" He thought a moment. Nope, there was no easy way to phrase this._

_"What's the year?" Carter gave him a confused look. "I'm just... I've got a headache, and I'm a little foggy." The older man nodded, went to his desk and pulled out a pill bottle, tossing it to him. Zane caught it. _

_"Two-thousand-and-seven." _

_Zane choked on the water as it followed the pills down his throat. He suffered a minor coughing fit, before setting the empty glass on Jo's desk. "Wh... what did you say?" _

_"Two thousand and twelve. Are you okay, Zane? You don't look so good. Are you sure you aren't coming down with something? Maybe you should go home and lay down." He nodded. _

_"Yeah. I... I think I'll... go lay down..." He stumbled out of the office, making his way back to his apartment. When he finally was able to focus his attention again, he'd slipped into his apartment, the sound of the door shutting jarring him from his haze. He looked around. _

_Everything looked the same. The place was in that strange limbo between clean and messy; his laptop sat on his desk, a stack of books- the top one, Great Gatsby- sat on the table. He looked around, searching for little reminders of Jo- one of her guns on the table, waiting to be cleaned; her hairbrush on the bathroom counter; her suits, hanging in her side of the closet; the lotion she used for her hands on the nightstand; a pair of lace panties left on the floor from one of their adventures; a bra hanging from the doorknob._

_There was nothing. It was like he was back to living as a bachelor, not like a man in a committed relationship with a beautiful, stubborn woman. It was like her things had magically vanished, leaving him alone. It felt wrong. _

_Very wrong. _

_Zane sighed and took a seat on the sofa. Carter had said it was two thousand and seven. There was no way that was even possible. _

_But as he looked around, he realized that it was. _

_He shook his head, closing his eyes. If he took a couple deep breaths and then opened his eyes, he'd find himself on the sofa, with Jo curled into his side, her long raven hair down around her shoulders for once. He'd smell her perfume and feel her skin under his fingers, and realize that it was all a horrible dream. Jo would be playing with the buttons on his shirt, half-absorbed in the movie they'd be watching._

_But when he opened his eyes, he was alone._


End file.
